Electric meter



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. BENTZ.

ELECTRIC METER. I No. 391,010. Patented Oct. 16, 1888.

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(No Model.)

No. 391,010. I

- 2 Sheets-Shet 2. H. BENTZ.

ELECTRIC METER,

Patented Oct. 16, 1888.

ATENT HARRY BENTZ, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,010, dated October 16, 1888.

Application filed November 30, 1887. Serial No. 256,528. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARRY BENTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at York, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Meters; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a new and simplified construction in meters for determining the quantity of electricity passing over a circuit of conduct-ors in any known length of time and in registering the said quantity; and it consists in providing the same with a cone moving at a constant rate of speed, which imparts motion to a registering apparatus by means of a friction-wheel which bears upon the said cone, and the position of which is determined by an electroniagnet excited by the current to be measured.

In the accompanying drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by similar letters, Figure l is a side elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view, and Fig. 3 is a detail end view of the cone and frictionwheel.

The electro-magnet, A, which is excited and regulated by the current to be measured, is wrapped with the insulated wires a a, the said wires forming apart of the circuit of conduetors carrying the current to be measured, and therefore as the current increases or decreases the strength of the magnet increases or decreases to correspond therewith.

An armature, B, preferably of a curved form, as shown, is so placed as to be attracted in a greater or less degree by the electro-magnet. To the said armature is attached at one end a bar, I), while the other end is provided with forks b b, curved in a direction opposite to the armature. The said bar is swung upon an axis, If, while a weight, b provided with a setscrew, 11*, allowing it to be fastened in any desirable position under the point of suspension, is fastened upon the said bar.

The friction-wheel O is fastened upon one end of a hollow spindle, while upon the other end thereof is fastened the button 0. The said hollow spindle is longitudinally, but not radially, movable upon the angular shaft D, thus causing the latter to revolve with it. The forked arms I) I) pass between the collar cand the wheel 0, thus causing the latter to move with them.

A cone, E, is so situated at such aconstant distance from the shaft D as to cause the friction-wheel G to bear upon its periphery, and that no portion of it is directly under the point of suspension of the bar 1). One end of the axis 6 of this cone is connected with asuitable train of clock-work contained in the case F, which causes it to rotate at a constant speed, while the other end thereof is received by the standard 6.

Upon one end of the shaft D is attached the registering apparatus G, which may be of the form now in common use in gasmeters, 82c.

Vhen electricity is passing through the circuit in which the wires a a are inserted, the magnet is excited and attracts the armature B, which causes the forked arms I) b of the lever 1) to move the friction-wheel 0 upon the periphery of the constantly-moving cone E, by which the friction-wheel is turned, thereby imparting motion to the register G through the shaft 1). If the current be still further increased, the armature is attracted farther toward the magnet, thus causing the wheel 0 to move farther upon the cone; but as the periphery of the cone is at this point greater than it was at the posit-ion occupied by the wheel before,the latter will turn faster, thereby causing the registering apparatus to register I faster. if the current be decreased, the weight b will act to withdraw the armature a corresponding distance from the magnet, and the wheel 0 a corresponding distance toward the smaller end of the cone, thus causing the registering apparatus to register more slowly; and if the current be entirely stopped the weight will cause the bar I) to assume an upright position, thus removing the friction-wheel entirely from off the cone and permitting the latter to turn without turning the former. As an example, say one sixteen candle power lamp is turned on. The current to supply the lamp causes the friction-wheel to assume a certain position upon the cone, and thus causes the registering apparatus to move ata certain rate. If five sixteen-candle-power lamps are turned 1 weight attached to the said bar below the pivotal point thereof, curved forked arms upon the lower end of the said bar, a shaft, awheel I 5 movable thereon, and a cone provided with mechanism for imparting a constant motion thereto, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig- 2o nature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY BENTZ.

Witnesses:

WM. BEITZEL, I. A. O. MINNIOH. 

